Evert Keller is packing some extra items of American pop culture for his return to Suriname in the Peace Corps

Keller has been assisting the Ministry of Health in its efforts to encourage people in remote villages to visit free clinics. Keller has six to eight more months left in his two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer. Keller lives in an apartment in Paramaribo, works in an office there and travels twice a month, making the last of the 250-mile trip in a boat, to the villages of Apertina, Cupido and Post Utrecht. The people in the villages are suspicious of government and only seek medical care when really ill, he said. The government program sends volunteers like Keller and nurses into the villages to build trust and educate the 400 residents about health care and HIV/AIDS testing. Keller said he's worked to help build cisterns to collect rainwater for drinking, and future volunteers will likely help build latrines and wells.

PORTLAND - Evert Keller's packing some extra items of American pop culture for his return trip to Suriname.

The 26-year-old Peace Corps volunteer has been visiting his parents in Portland, eating Mexican food and stocking up on items requested by his new friends in the country in northern South America.

So SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and NBA jerseys featuring Shaq will make the 10-hour-flight today, and the daylong bus ride into the capital city, Paramaribo.

There, Keller has been assisting the Ministry of Health in its efforts to encourage people in remote villages to visit free clinics. Keller has six to eight more months left in his two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer.

The Peace Corps sends American volunteers around the globe to help in education, youth outreach, community and business development, agriculture, environment, health and information technology. About 7,750 people are currently serving in 139 countries.

"It's amazing to experience another culture," Keller said. "It really does open your mind and change the way you see the world."

Keller, a 2003 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, lives in an apartment in Paramaribo, works in an office there and travels twice a month, making the last of the 250-mile trip in a boat, to the villages of Apertina, Cupido and Post Utrecht.

The people in the villages are suspicious of government and only seek medical care when really ill, he said. The government program sends volunteers like Keller and nurses into the villages to build trust and educate the 400 residents about health care and HIV/AIDS testing.

Keller said he's worked to help build cisterns to collect rainwater for drinking, and future volunteers will likely help build latrines and wells.

Keller is the only Peace Corps volunteer in Paramaribo, but a spokesman said 35 volunteers are working in the country.

The villagers are a diverse mix of East Indian, Creole, Javanese, and Maroons who live deep in the jungle. They speak Dutch and a local language called Sranan Tongo.

Keller said he can converse in each, and is proficient at the type of small talk that relaxes the villagers - fishing and families.

He's also involved in helping people in Paramaribo with computer and English skills, and is trying to get grant funds to build a radio station in one of Suriname's villages.

"You definitely know that you are doing the right thing and making a difference," he said.

Keller's parents, Evert and Pat, said they support his Peace Corps work.

Pat Keller, his mom, said she wanted to join the Peace Corps when she was young, but lacked the courage. Both said the year-and-a-half of service had matured Keller.

"He has a direction now," she said. "He seems to be more confident in himself. He's a better decision-maker, and more confident in the decisions he makes. He seems to be more at peace with himself."

Keller receives about $200 a month for food. The Peace Corps covers his rent and will give him about $6,000 when he completes his two years. Keller said he plans to pursue community development, such as youth outreach, public health education, or fundraising, in the United States.

"If you want to go to a part of the world no one else has been to, and you really want to experience it, the Peace Corps is the best way to do it," he said.

But if you don't have the time or the inclination to travel, Keller said you could still help by donating to the cause online at HYPERLINK http://www.peacecorps.gov www.peacecorps.gov.

All Volunteers Safe in FijiAll Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news.

Ron Tschetter in Morocco and JordanOn his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: Corpus Christi Caller Times

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